Back to School Time

I have included a picture above of one of my favorite stores, *Soft Surroundings*. Their clothes seem so romantic and peaceful!

Crazy time with getting ready back to school! Good time...just crazy getting ready for my 4th grade classroom. I started with in-services today, so the balancing act begins. :)

The beginning of the week I was losing about .5 lbs. a day. Then the second half of the week I gained about .5 lbs. a day. Ended the week with a .4 lb loss, so not the end of the world. Just lets you know how fickle weight can be some time. My lowest weight this week was 182.6. I set a goal to be in the 170's by September. That is just exciting to say...can't even imagine!!!

I had my third fill scheduled last week, but my dr. said that I could cancel it if I felt I didn't need it. My second fill was just two weeks prior. As a teacher the next day I have time off that coincides with the dr. is Dec. 22. I feel comfortable now, not too tight or loose. If I eat too quick I can tell, yet I can pretty much eat anything. I haven't found any foods I can't eat. I'm losing about 1.5 lbs a week, so I feel this is a good place. We will see where I'm at in December; my goal is in the low 160's.

PS-I need to thank my 17 year old who fixed my blog. I told her I would give her $20 if she could remove the Photobucket box within 24 hrs. She had in done in 20 min. Money talks! :)

Happy Monday!

Help... I Need Somebody

I have been back from my trip a few weeks now and I still cannot figure out my blog issues. :)

When I came back my blog background was gone and I have this box that says "Image or video has been deleted...Photo Bucket." I kept thinking if I put a new background in, it would go away.
So far, the blog will not accept a new background. So if anyone has experience similar blog issues or has any suggestions, please let me know. THANK YOU!!!! Meanwhile, it is driving me crazy!

Back to the weight loss front, 1.2 lbs this week. I had not lost any weight, and then we went out for Mexican food and I lost .6 lbs the next day. Last night we celebrated my father in law's 90th birthday. I had cake, a brownie, a skinny hamburger (no bun)...and lost another .6 lbs. Sometimes I feel like I lose a little easier when I eat more. Wishful thinking on my part! :)

The pics above are of me and my oldest daughter at the party. Again, so nice to be in pix and not delete them immediately. The other picture is with my sister in law who said she could really see my weight loss. She lost 90 lbs. with Weight Watchers a few years back and has kept it off, so she is very supportive.

Happy rest of the weekend!

It's Friday

It's Friday...my most favorite day of the week! I'm getting ready to go back to school and we have had a couple days of in services. Our coordinator made a delicious lunch the other day that was probably the best I have ever had. (or maybe I just appreciate food more :) She made a whole wheat spaghetti casserole and *Doubletree* hotel cookies. OMG...to die for! I had one...it was divine!

I checked my inches the other day for 2 months out. I have lost:
*about 4" from my hips/stomach area

*3" from my waist

*2" from my chest

*2 1/2 from each thigh

All in all, I think it was about 16" total. Good bye and good riddance!

My favorite new treat is lowfat club house crackers (qty 5) and a wedge of Laughing Cow (garlic & herb cheese spread). That just tastes decadent!

I'm turning into the food Nazi at my house. It is not a pretty picture...the natives are getting combative. :) I make comments to my husband about the portion sizes on his plate. I tell my daughter that she doesn't need to eat three cheese sandwiches when she comes home from cheer before she goes to bed. Then I hide "my food" so no one else can get it. My dh had been eating my protein bars. Grrrr...I'm sure this too will pass and I will quit policing what everyone else eats. Right??? Yeah, right! :)

Happy Friday everyone!!!

Don't you love my spray tanned orange toes??? Not! :) This was my final weight for the Summer Challenge, 185.6. I started at 199.0. That gave me a total loss of 13.40 lbs. in 8 weeks (1.68 per week). Slow and steady. I don't feel like I'm dieting or starving. I would say the biggest change for me is portion size. If I lose an average of 1.50 per week, it will take me 33 weeks to reach my goal. I know my weight loss will slow down, but still it is so nice to see light at the end of the tunnel and believe it is possible!

I don't track my food everyday, but about once a week to make sure I'm staying on track. I'm pretty boring eating the same ole, same ole...so most of the time I know the counts for what I'm eating.

A copy of my food diary for today is below.
I may skip the protein bar and/or pudding if I'm not feeling hungry

Breakfast & Snack:

Bariatrx - Protein Drink, 1 scoop (I have this about 7 am with the milk)
85 calories
Yoplait - Light Fat Free Yogurt - Harvest Peach, 6 oz. (I have this about 10:30 am)
100 calories
Milk - Nonfat (fat free or skim), 1 cup
86 calories

Lunch (Have this around 1:30 pm)
Beef - Ground, 80% lean meat / 20% fat, crumbles, cooked, pan-browned (hamburger), 1 serving ( 3 oz )
231 calories
Daisy - Low Fat Cottage Cheese, 1/8 cup (I mix a spoonful of cottage cheese & shredded cheese in with the hamburger)
23 calories
Shredded Cheddar Cheese, 0.0625 cup
28 calories

Dinner & Snacks
Atkins Advantage Protein Bar - Chocolate Chip Granola Bar, 1 bar (This is if I get hungry and right now I am aok, so I may skip this today) - Generally around 3 to 3:30
200 calories
Ling Ling - All Natural Pot Stickers, 3 pieces (145g) - These are to die for!!! My fave!!!!
156 calories
Soy sauce, 1 tsp - Dinner about 6:30 pm
3

Snacks (If I'm still hungry I will have this around 8:30 or 9:00)
Jello Sugar Free Pudding - Vanilla Pudding Snack, 1 snack (106g)
60 calories
Cool Whip - Whipped Topping - Lite, 2 tbsp
20 calories

Totals
992 calories if I have everything above.
77 gms of Protein

Plus I drink about 12 oz. glasses of Crystal Lite Lemonade mix with water throughout the day

It was amazing to see how skinny all of my followers got during the one week I was out of town. Many of you have new profile pix up and I hardly recognize you! Way to go!

If I'm not following please send me a quick post with your blog link. I follow a little over 100 blogs and it is not always realistic to get to all of them by the end of the week, but I try to get to at least half of you. I read the blogs of my posters :) first and then get to the most recent updates of the blogs I follow. Most of the time I try to post a little something. It is such a blessing to have this group to come to and connect. No one can relate to what we are going thru as much as each other. Plus the fact that we are all charming, witty, funny and gorgeous doesn't hurt! :)

On a quick side note and NSV (NonScale Victory for the newbies) I'm no longer taking my heartburn meds. I used to take them daily for about ten years.

Happy start of a new week everyone!!!

I'm Back

I just got back from my business trip earlier this week. Lost a little over a pound during my trip so I'm fairly happy. The trip included a daiquiri, a margarita and more chips and salsa than I care to remember. :) It was good to get away with friends, have fun, eat in moderation and still be able to lose. Another group split this GIANT burrito for dinner! I had them hold their hands out so you could see how HUGE it was! It could easily feed six! I finally reached the 25+ lbs. lost. According to my dr. who started weighing earlier, I have almost lost 30 lbs.

My computer is a little under the weather, so I have some "checking" to do. I noticed my blog art is gone and my computer freezes every time I go to update layout. This weekend will be devoted to my husband figuring out the problems.

Got my second spray on tan Monday. They are kind of addicting at $10 a pop and five minutes of your time. My favorite part is to have a tan stomach. It has not seen the sun for several decades. A couple of you posted questions on my last post re: spray on tan. It is not sticky at all. It is a very fine mist, almost powdery. You just towel dry when you are done. I got the lightest color possible the first time and a darker color the second time. They only last about a week, so it is good for a special occasion. Grace I could hug you across the screen for saying you could see a hint of collar bone in my last post picture. I went back to look and think it is a shadow, because in real life there is no sign of collar bone yet. I loved that you commented on it though. :)

Went for my second fill today at 9 weeks. I lost close to 6 lbs. since my last fill three weeks ago (according to my dr.'s scale). He added another 1.5 cc in my 14 cc Realize band for a total of 6.5. He said each time after the fills get smaller and smaller, but the results are larger. I have a standing appt for Aug. 11th and I will keep that in the event I feel I could use more of a fill. After that it will be hard for me to get time off once school starts. I have been able to eat whatever I want. I have yet to have anything like a PB incident yet (knock on wood) and I'm hungry after meals, so I felt it was time to get a second fill. My surgeon does all of the fills himself. I like that I get to see him every visit. This time the fill had a bit of a bite (like a hard pinch). On a pain scale of 1 - 10, it was about a 3 -4. Last time I hardly felt a thing; then again I brought my camera; maybe that is the secret. It is still a tad sore, not impossible, just not as easy breezy as last time.

I have posted pix of my stomach a couple of days after surgery and nine weeks out. I can barely see the incisions. I put Bio Oil on them twice a day. I'm sure the spray tanning helps as well.

It feels so good to be back. Lots to catch up on, especially before school starts, I'm a teacher :) Plus, tomorrow we are doing our first college visit with my 17 yr. old. (*Augustana*) She will be a sr. in high school next year, but they do not waste any time these days. I will catch up on some blogs tonight. Can't wait to see how everyone is doing. I missed you guys!

Tan and Out the Door

I'm leaving in less than 30 minutes for a business trip for the week and I wanted to get a good-bye blog in. :)

Went to *L*A*Tan yesterday for their Monday special spray-on tan $10 (regularly $30). This was my first time ever in a tanning salon. I don't know how much you can tell from the picture, but I did get some color. I don't think I'm too orangey. :) You step into a private room and you can lock the door. They give you a paper shower cap for your hair and a lotion to rub on your palms, etc. so you don't pick up the mist there. After you get into your bday suit you step into a unit which looks like a shower. I pushed a green button and after 5 seconds a fine mist sprays my front for 15 seconds. Then I have 5 seconds to turn around before I have another 15 seconds on my backside. It takes about four hours for the full color to appear. All in all it was okay. I think it is nice for a special trip, etc. The whole process took less than 5 min.

My weight was down to my lowest this morning at 187.8. It has pretty much plateaued the past week or so. The good news is I'm not gaining, just not losing. I'm going to try and move my next fill appt up, because I'm hungry pretty much non-stop and can eat anything.

I look forward to catching up on everyone's blogs when I get back. It really means the world to have this group to connect with. Have a wonderful week filled with lots of weight loss!

I'm in the Pictures

For a decade I have avoided being in front of the camera. I have no record that I ever existed in my family's life. Sad way to live. Now I volunteer to have my picture taken. I'm a camera hog! :) Today was my youngest daughter's award and presentation ceremony for the end of cheer camp. I noticed another mom getting her picture taken with her daughter and I decided what a good idea. I now have official proof that I exist! The other picture is of the two of my daughters together. This is a BIG NSV!

Looking forward to my spray on tan Monday; didn't realize how pale I am. :)